Faculty Collaboration Spotlight: Dr. Carlito Lebrilla
Davis, CA — At the UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health, researchers are advancing a new era of precision nutrition by decoding the molecular complexity of food. One of the leaders driving this work is Dr. Carlito Lebrilla, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Molecular Medicine at University of California, Davis. By focusing on the precise quantitation of chemical components, he is reshaping how scientists understand the relationship between food, the microbiome, and human health.
Dr. Lebrilla’s work focuses on what he describes as the “'fundamental question of food'”: how molecules in food interact with biology to influence health outcomes. Using advanced mass spectrometry and molecular analysis, his lab maps sugars, proteins, lipids, and other compounds with remarkable precision.
One of the most influential breakthroughs from his lab involves human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), specialized sugars found in breast milk that feed beneficial gut bacteria in infants. Dr. Lebrilla helped demonstrate how these sugars support the growth of Bifidobacterium infantis (B. infantis), a microbe known as "'nature's first probiotic.'" In collaboration with Dr. Bruce German, Dr. David A. Mills, Dr. Daniela Barile, and Dr. Samara Freeman, all distinguished UC Davis professors, Dr. Lebrilla's work proved how modern diets hinder the stable colonization of B. infantis and alter gut ecology. These discoveries contributed to the launch of biotech company Infinant Health and the development of probiotic therapies aimed at reducing inflammation in infants.
Beyond infant nutrition, Dr. Lebrilla’s team is applying glycomics to a broad range of challenges in food and medicine. His lab has investigated how dietary fibers shape the gut microbiome, analyzed carbohydrate structures in indigenous corn varieties, and identified glycan biomarkers associated with cancers and early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. These efforts are helping researchers explore new diagnostic tools and functional food innovations rooted in molecular analysis and encouraging the integration of scientific research into mainstream food products.
Dr. Lebrilla also plays a major role in the Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI), a global effort to create a comprehensive molecular atlas of foods. By standardizing glycomic analytical methods and cataloging the biochemically diverse compounds found in crops and ingredients, the initiative aims to accelerate discoveries in nutrition, sustainability, and food innovation.
At UC Davis, Dr. Lebrilla’s work exemplifies IIFH's mission to "foster interdisciplinary collaboration, data-drive discovery, and translational science." This interdisciplinary collaboration bridges the fields of chemistry, biology, medicine, agriculture, and entrepreneurship to address some of the world’s food and health challenges and provide real results for human health and sustainability. By uncovering the molecular language of food, his research helps shape a future where nutrition is more precise, preventative, and personalized.
Read Full Article by UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health here.
